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http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/2579/preserving-the-southern-philippines-threatened-peace-dealAs the world was fixated on the Beijing Olympics and Russia's
incursion into Georgia, a fledgling peace process between the
Philippine government and Muslim rebels in the
country's restive south was beginning to unravel. The Philippine
Supreme Court's suspension of a key peace agreement fanned the flames
of violence in the region. The United States should be concerned about these developments, and should work to ensure the Philippine government musters the political will to overcome obstacles to peace.

Preserving the Southern Philippines' Threatened Peace Deal

As the world was fixated on the Beijing Olympics and Russia's incursion into Georgia, a fledgling peace process between the Philippine government and Muslim rebels fighting for autonomy in the country's restive south was beginning to unravel. The Philippine Supreme Court's suspension of a key peace agreement fanned the flames of violence in the region, sending insurgent factions storming into villages. One hundred fifty thousand people fled their looted and torched homes, while the Philippine military pounded rebel hideouts with heavy artillery fire. The United Nations expressed alarm, while the International Red Cross said more than 80,000 people were displaced.

The United States should be concerned at the recent developments in the 30-year bloody struggle between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebel group and the Philippine government. After all, it was Washington that granted independence to a unified, majority-Christian Philippine state in 1946 despite calls by Moro Muslims for a separate status. These grievances later crystallized into a full-blown insurgency. The Philippines is a major non-NATO ally that also initially committed troops to Washington's unpopular war in Iraq. Manila has also served as a key player in the global war on terrorism in Southeast Asia, a region home to a quarter of the world's Muslims. After the MILF stronghold in the southern Philippines was designated a "terrorist safe haven", the U.S. assisted the Philippine military in wiping out al-Qaeda-linked groups Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf with groundbreaking success. ...